NC’s Jammu wing say ‘BJP dashes hopes, aspirations of Jammu’

Jammu: National Conference Tuesday described August 5, 2019 political moves in Jammu and Kashmir as emotionally tortuous for the Jammu region in particular, saying the trauma is unabated with people nurturing the feeling of being politically and socially disempowered and marginalised.
“Emotionally, we feel tormented with the largest state getting dwarfed into a Union Territory, a move unprecedented and unheard of in the history of independent India”, senior National Conference leaders said in a joint statement issued from Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan, adding that the hopes and aspirations of the Jammu region have been dashed by the BJP.
“Conversion of the state into Union Territory amounts to belittling the glorious Dogra pride”, the National Conference leaders said, adding this is the last thing the self respecting Dogras, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, had expected.
They said dilution of permanent resident laws brought in by the visionary Maharaja Hari Singhji in 1927 to insulate the state, especially the Jammu region from the hegemony of affluent business houses from the neighbouring states having proximity to the Duggarland is yet another onslaught unleashed by the insensitive BJP, which has been working against the interests of Jammu. The snatching of this law will open up floodgate for big businesses to decimate small businessmen, industrial units and traders thus leading to economic slavery of Jammuties. Similarly, the jobs exclusively meant for the unemployed educated youth will have to be shared under the new concept of Domicile Rules, which are unjust, unfair and arbitrary. They questioned the promises made a year ago about safeguarding the jobs and lands of the permanent residents, saying that instead of taking any step towards this direction, the Domicile laws were brought in against the wishes of the people, who feel threatened of losing their holdings and snatching the jobs. Due to apprehensions about sharing of jobs with non-permanent residents and failure in undertaking any recruitment drive during the past one year, the educated employed youth are getting desperate, they added.
The National Conference leaders recalled the dreams sold at the time of revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, asking what extraordinary development has taken place during the past one year. Instead of bringing down the promised moon for the people, they feel deprived of normal developmental activities with the utility services remaining in shambles. There has not been any forward moment in the normal developmental activities due to administrative inertia and lack of accountability, they added.
“Instead of progress and development, Jammu is getting punished by operationalisation of toll plazas one after another”, the National Conference leaders said that vehicular movement has become beyond the reach of the poor and middle class, not only due to hike in fuel prices but cumbersome toll tax as well. This has eventually increased the tariff in the movement of supplies which have made essential commodities costlier. This all is like breaking the backbone of the poor, they added.
The National Conference leaders said that August 5 will remain a dark day for the people of Jammu and Kashmir for having lost their identity, dignity and pride which Maharaja Hari Singhji had bequeathed to the posterity. This will also be a reminder of breaching the trust and confidence of the people in this part of the country, they maintained.
Besides Provincial President Mr Devender Singh Rana, the signatories to the joint statement include Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Surjeet Singh Salathia, Rattan Lal Gupta, Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, Sardar Harbans Singh, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Th Rachpal Singh, Th. Kashmira Singh, Abdul Gani Malik, Javeed Rana, Babu Rampal, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Jagjeevan Lal, Qazi Jalal Ud Din, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, and others.